founder

Word family

found·er1 /ˈfaʊndə $ -ər/ AWL noun [countableC]

START something/MAKE something STARTsomeone who establishes a business, organization, school etc 〔公司、组织、学校等的〕创立者，创办人；始创者

Examples from the Corpus

founder• Larry Madden, founder of a liturgical think tank.• This Jesuit was not only a profound preacher, but the founder of orphanages and improver of prison conditions.• The shop is still run by the founder and his two sons.• In it the founders dissolved also their own presbytery and headed back for their model to the ideal primitive church.• This is where many of the founders of industrial Prague rest.• He was thus the founder of physics teaching in Oxford University.

Related topics: Water

founder2 verb [intransitiveI] formal

1 FAILto fail after a period of time because something has gone wrong 失败

Their marriage began to founder soon after the honeymoon.

他们的婚姻在蜜月之后不久便触礁了。

founder on

The talks foundered on disagreements between the two parties.

会谈因双方意见不合而搁浅。

2 TTWif a ship or boat founders, it fills with water and sinks 〔船〕沉没

founder on

The ship foundered on the rocks.

那艘船触礁沉没。

Examples from the Corpus

founder• By 1992 her marriage was foundering.• The will and morale and community of its people can founder.• According to court records, Dubroff's business was foundering and he was facing eviction.• His business had started to founder and his company had gone into insolvent liquidation.• He has extracted land and money from business interests, but his revolutionary experiment has foundered from the start.• Detail does matter because concepts which are excellent in their general sweep can founder on a small matter of detail.

From Longman Business Dictionary

founderfound·er1 /ˈfaʊndə-ər/ noun [countableC]ORGANIZATIONS

a person who starts a new company or organization

The company’s founder and chairman, Charles Munch, has resigned.

founderfounder2 verb [intransitiveI]COMMERCE

if a company, plan, job etc founders, it fails or is unsuccessful

Two major companies foundered this week.

A potential rescue deal foundered after they rebuffed an offer of $2.5 million.

founder on

The institution foundered on huge loan losses.

Origin founder2

(1300-1400) Old French fondrer, from Latin fundus “bottom”